Selling to a buyer with only one review
Hi: How do you very experienced sellers handle decent offers from buyers having only one review? The item for sale is a NWT item in pristine condition. The relatively few bad experiences I have had with buyers have all concerned NWT items sold in pristine condition that are returned to me in less than pristine condition. Although I typically don't offer returns, certain buyers seem to know how to play the game and claim not as listed and/or "make" a defect so they can return the item within (sometimes on the last day) the 30 days allowed by EBAY. They return these items wadded up in a heap. I really appreciate your advice! Thanks!
19 comments
luckythewinner
·1 year agoHow do you very experienced sellers handle decent offers from buyers having only one review?
No differently than I do with any other buyer.
Nothing else you discussed really has anything to do with "buyers having only one review".
johnrj1226
·1 year agoAll buyers and sellers started out with zero reviews. All sellers and buyer are not straight shooters - been that way since Adam and Eve. e.g. Walmart had 6.5 billion $ in theft loss (customers and employees) in 2023 up from 3.1 billion in previous year.
When I was selling on eBay had more issues with the 3 and 4 digit buyers than the zero ones - mostly non payers.. Got that fixed when I went to fixed price listings w/ no best offer, no free shipping and immediate payment required w/ 30 day returns buy pays return shipping (for remorse issues.)
inhawaii
·1 year agoI dont even look at a buyer's feedback score. Just like @kensgiftshop said, they pay, I pack it up and ship it out.
fashunu4eeuh
·1 year agoA buyer’s feedback score/sales history is not a measure of legitimacy. While those buyers with established histories may appear safer, there are no guarantees they carry any less risk. Before listing expensive goods, a seller must assess their risk tolerance based on the costs involved on that item and those plans in place to deal with shrinkage.
When i began selling 15+ years ago, i set up a suspense fund to cover loss and potential returns. A few cents from each sale supports that fund.
So i do not hesitate or worry about accepting sales from new buyers.
coastaltechsolution
·1 year agoJust to tack onto your great reply
Always keep good records of shrink for taxes.
simply-the-best-for-you
·1 year agoYou ship it, just like anything else. You are not allowed to discriminate against low FB buyers & you will get a major hit on your account if you don't follow through. The time to do risk assessment is BEFORE you list an item. Once you've listed it, you pretty much have to follow through no matter who buys it. That said, I've never had problems with low FB buyers, everyone was new sometime. What happened to you, can & does happen with high FB buyers too. It's always a risk.
ETA: I disagree about allowing returns unless you allow free returns, I had WAY MORE fake SNAD's when I tested allowing returns. I normally as No Returns get 1-2/year. In a 2 month trial I got like 6+ & every single one was simply b/c they wanted return shipping paid. That was a couple of years ago. Went back to No Returns & I'm back to my normal 1-2/year. Just to be clear, I respect @chapeau-noir very much, but in this case, we disagree.
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoI went to returns because I got tired of arguing with buyers about it, having them lecture me and fake excuses. That pretty much went away when I started taking 30 day returns. Our different experiences may have something to do with the fact that I'm so small, without a large, established inventory, so they think I'm some kind of newbie. I loved the one "If you want to make a go of this, you're going to have to understand that if you take Paypal, you take returns." 🙄 I would love to go back to no returns.
simply-the-best-for-you
·1 year agoOf course, different sellers have different experiences. I was stunned by what happened. I had tried turning on returns numerous times before, usually for a month experiment & I NEVER had anything like that happen before. I think buyers are just getting more entitled. In the past when I've tried it, I've had a return or two, no big deal, but no fake SNADs. I just never kept it b/c I didn't see any increase in sales. It may be different buyer demographics too, as you tend to have more artsy clothing than I do. Neither is right or wrong & I didn't want you to think I was dissing your advice, I fully support everyone experimenting & seeing what works for them!
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoAlso, with eBay getting more mainstream in the past 15 years, it attracts a wider pool of people.
adamcartwright
·1 year ago@simply-the-best-for-you
My experience with No Returns has been the same as yours.
For me, it's the way to go.
coastaltechsolution
·1 year agobut no returns does not mean buyer cannot get a refund, just means you do not want the item back.
I'm not saying any return policy is right or wrong, and seller should choose what is best for them.
Have you seen a better outcome with setting no returns?
It is great to hear sellers experiences
simply-the-best-for-you
·1 year agoNo Returns has been way better for me! Other than trialing allowing them, I've been No Returns as long as it's been avl & I've declined many with no issues at all.
adamcartwright
·1 year ago@coastaltechsolution
No Returns does not mean I don't want the item back. It just means I don't accept remorse returns.
And if a buyer claims INAD, then the seller's return policy is irrelevant, anyway.
I've actually accepted a couple of remorse return requests within the past year or two. I could have turned them down, but I guess I was in a nice mood.
Both times, the buyers never returned the items and ebay closed the returns without refunds. It seems to work out okay for me, not having dealt with any major fraudsters to this point.
coastaltechsolution
·1 year ago@adamcartwright
Yes correct having no returns does not mean a buy will not get a refund.
What I was asking was if putting a no returns policy on items slows sales , I would think so.
onlinecentral
·1 year agoHere is the feedback for my last 10 returns. The average or median is in the hundreds.
2 24 46 66 168 326 398 913 1497 2077
Two buyers never shipped the package back to me. Their cases timed out, the holds on the payments were released and I kept the money. I was able to relist and eventually resold the returned merchandise.
moretreasures4you
·1 year agoAfter 25 years selling here, I never check on a buyers feedback or anything else. Unless they have asked 25 questions and made me uncomfortable. Otherwise, just package up and ship it!
kensgiftshop
·1 year agoI treat them the same was as buyer with no feedback or a lot, if they pay, I box it up and ship it.
coastaltechsolution
·1 year agoAll buyers start out on every platform new, to be honest if the new buyer used buy it now would you cancel order?
If it is a decent offer and not a low ball offer then go for it.
I can understand the experience you described but all part of sales, online or B&M
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoIf the offer is good with me, I accept it, pack and ship, although at this stage you could refuse the offer if you feel very strongly about it.
And I know this isn't part of the subject, but as a fellow clothing seller I suggest you take 30-day buyer pays returns - it may cut down on this kind of thing.